CASA MEXICANA HOTEL – TRAVELBART REVIEW

I arrived in Cozumel Friday about noon, right after hurricane Rina blew through the day before with winds at 100 MPH. Everyone ran like hell outa there, and Cancun, too – I heard 10,000 tourists left the area. But what’s a hurricane when you’re Cozumel bound, so I took my chances. I got on my flight in Los Angeles not knowing if my connecting flight would be cancelled. It wasn’t and landing, I walked across the tarmac in sunny, balmy, 80 degree weather.

Cozumel sure is quiet with everyone gone. It’s Sunday as I write this and the tourists are drifting back in. Cruise ships hit San Miguel, the main town, tomorrow and the locals are taking down the plywood from their windows and getting ready.

I checked into the Casa Mexicana hotel on the south end of San Miguel. They had a special I couldn’t pass up – $66/night with the 4th night free – with a free buffet breakfast included. That’s $50 a night for a good hotel on the main drag. And www.tripadvisor.com ranks Casa Mexicana #7 out of 59 hotels on Cozumel, so how can I go wrong? Follow the link through TripAdvisor to check Casa Mexicana out.

Lobby of the Casa Mexicana

The buffet breakfast is laid out nicely, tasty, and more than adequate. The rooms are good, too, for the money. The rooms facing the oceanfront are $30 more per night and probably worth it as the “city view” is not much to look at. But, since I planned to be here at least three weeks, I bought a bike to travel about, so I haven’t really been in the city view room all that much, anyway.

The Casa Mexicana is a good location in the south end of San Miguel and everything is in walking distance – lots of good restaurants and super markets to pick up odds and ends or snacks and drinks for your rooms. The staff is professional and nice to deal with and a nice little plus is the second floor balcony you see in the picture. It’s nice to kick back there after breakfast with a cup of coffee or your laptop, just watching what’s happening on the beautiful blue water out there.

By the way, stay out of eateries on the main drag – gringo cruise ship prices. Guido’s is the only exception. Don’t miss it if you’re in town, at least for a relaxing glass of wine or a cool drink. In town, Parrilla Mission and the Casa Mission should be good, too. Any cab driver should get you there in 5-10 minutes. I haven’t tried it yet, but I was told Taco Rock is the best, and only 1 1/2 blocks up from the beach on Calle Adolpho Rosado, near the main road going inland through the central square. Also try these restaurants: Las Palmas, Las Seres, and Tacos Pique.

San Miguel is safe so you can walk anywhere, so head inland a few street for the real deal, or as close as you’ll get until you make it into the local areas where the food is killer. I’ll fill you in on some others, too, in my next blog post.